Improvement in harvester-cutters



Parar ISRAEL S. LOVE, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 111.4102, dated March l1, 1856.

ilo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL S. LOVE, of Beloir, in the county of Rock and State of Wiscousin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Grass-Cutting Blades for Mowing and Reaping Machines, by means of which they are made to perform their work more perfectlythan heretofore; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

I will illustrate the nature of my improvement by first describing the usual form of the grass-cutting blades of mowingmaehines and the great defect in their operation.V

Figure 1 represents the usualform ofone of the teeth or sections of the grass-cutting blades in commen use, drawn of the full size. They are made of steel and fastened with rivets or screws to an iron bar, by which they are moved alternately in opposite directions. A Aepresent its cutting-edges, each of which in turn gives a shearing cut as it is drawn through the lingers (or guard) nextto it upon the machine, but not represented in the drawings. These iingers(or guards) are very apt to catch the tough fibrous grass or other substance, which it drawn into them by the teeth of the cutting-blade, and hold it till the cutters become clogged, and sometimes are prevented from cutting or moving. This is a serious defect in the operation ot' these machines, and several inventions have been triade for overcoming the difliculty, none of whieh,however, have been found perfect in practice.

My invention consists in making a double set of teeth (or sections) to be attached to the sickle-bar, the one cet being immediately behind the other. The foremost of these have cutting-edges in the usual form,loeveled upon the under side, for cutting the grass, and the hindmost have blunt edges for clearing out tough grass or other substance that catehesin the fingers, (or guards,) and also in the backl guides which hold theblade down in its place.

Fig. 2 represents one of the sections of my grass-cutting blade, drawn of the full size, in which X is one lof the foremost teeth, having two sharp edges, AgA, beveled upon the under side. Y is one ofthe hindmost teeth, having two blunt edges,B B, and is placed so as to leave an opening, O D, between its edgesand the back of the foremost tooth X. This opening O D is inclined in opposite directions from the middle line of the tooth X, and extends across the cutter-bar E, to which it is fastened. The object of the tooth Y and space G Dis to keep the fingers and back guide clear from all obstructions, which it performs effectually.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the nowersill with the fingers J J and the cutting-blade X X, the back guide K and the rolling guide It, and the hindermost teeth Y. Y in their places. A A are the sharp edges; B B, the blunt edges of the hindermost teeth; O D, the spaces between the teeth; E, the cutter-bar;

F, the sill; J J, the guardiingers; K, backy` guide; R, the rolling` guide. This is designed more eii'ectually to keep the cutter-bar in its proper place, both to prevent its being crowded up or downward andl to prevent the blades from being turned upward by the stubble, and thereby causing great friction, which usually happens when stationary back guides are used. It may be observed that this rolling guide, a section of which is seen at Fig. 5, has a flange which extends over two-thirds ot' the width of the cutter-bar.

Fig. 4 is a top view ofthe roller R.V

Similarl letters indicate the same parts in each figure. t

Th`e motion usually given allows theinclined spaceOandDto pass quite through the guardlingers with a shearing motion, with the blunt edge clearing away any obstruction that may be drawn in between the blade and the nger. It also performs the same office where it passes under'the back guide K. It does this completely, even with short stroke, whereas the mere opening in the middle of a cutting-blade requires a much longer stroke in order to effect the same purpose,and thelong stroke is agreat disadvantage by causing much more friction, more wear, and requiring much more power to cut the same quantity of grass at each stroke. A rolling guide clogs less than a stationary one.

Any 'requisite number of the rolling guides may be used and the stationary guides dispensed With. By this arrangementIavoid the close proximity of the bar and consequent pressure on all the guard-fingers, having always a space between them and the under side of the cutter-bar, which otherwise often will clog up.

I do not claim the cutting-blades in their .usual form, nor do I claim the other parts, as

2 ll,4l,4l02

rear of the cutter-bar. I donot limit myself to the exact form or proportions of either, for it is evident that either of them might be slightly varied Without materially altering the effect.

In testimony whereof I hereto subscribe in presence of two witnesses.

ISRAEL S. LOVE.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. SMITH, A. ARNOLD. 

